Paul still man



P. STILLMAN. WaterGauge for Steam Boilers.

Patented July 31, 1855.

l I A N, PETERS Phamumognpher. wmhingm. D. C.

UNITED STATES PAENT GFFICE. Y

PAUL STILLMAN, OFNENV YORK, N. Y.

WATER-GAGE FOR STEAM-BOILERS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 13,363, dated July 31, 1855.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL STILLMAN, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Construction of the )Vater-Gage for Steam-Boilers, known as the Glass Water-Gage; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1, is a front elevation in section. Fig. 2, is a side elevation in section, and Fig. 3, is a horizontal section through theline 0c, fj, and Fig. 4, is a plan.

In the several figures the same parts are referred to by the same letters.

A, is the head of the boiler to which the gage is attached.

B, is the glass tube.

C, is a stuffing box for holding the tube by means of the packing (Z, which is compressed around the tube by means of the gland E, and follower f.

G, is the chamber and it, the key of a cock for forming or stopping off the connection between the tube (B) and the boiler (A) when desirable.

I, is a nut for holding the key (It) securely in the chamber of the cock (G).

j y' y' y', are guards for protection to the glass tube (B).

K, is a anch for securing the cock to the boiler.

The first part of my invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the cocks (G, G, it, la) by which I am enabled, first, to open a way for the insertion of the tube by removing the key of one of the cocks. 2nd, to lessen the cost of their construction and their liability to leak.

The second and last part of my invention consists in the manner in which I protect the glass tube (B) from external injury by placing rods or bars parallel with it, (the tube B) and secured to the cocks (G G) by passing through lugs on the side of the chamber, in the manner represented, so that they may be removed, if necessary, to get a wrench to the stuffing box (C) and follower E.

This invent-ion possesses two important features of improvement over the modes heretofore adopted for constructing water gages the first of which is the form and position of the keys of the cocks above and below, by means of which I can place the gage closer to the boiler work the cocks more conveniently andiremove and replace the glass tube for any cause with greater facility than in any other construction of water gage with which I am acquainted it being done by simply removing one of the keys, the axes of which are on a line with the tube. By this means also access can be had to the glass for other purposes and further by reversing the upper key water can be blown through the glass and by reversing the lower key steam is blown through so as to readily cleanse the glass tube on the inside at any time`without removing it 'or its fixtures, packing &c.

Then the keys are in place the inner ends of them which are most likely to leak are within the chamber of the stufling boxes so that no leakage at that point can take place a matter of great importance in the permanency of the gage.

The great points of superiority of this gage over the usual form are a saving of room and material, compactness durability and cheapness. s The second improvement is the addition of a guard which is readily removable. It consists of four rods surrounding the glass tube passing through lugs on the sides of the chambers of both cocks by which they are supported and are readily removed when the stuffing boxes are to be tightened. They do not serve as braces or impede the expansion or contraction of the other parts.

The instrument as represented in the drawing consists of three distinct parts, to wit: 1. The glass tube (B). 2. The two cocks (G G) forming its connection to the boiler, one on either side, and 3. The guards 7 y 7- The glass tube being a well known device need no description.

The cocks including the stuffing boxes which are attached to them are each composed of six pieces (C, E, f, G, h, I,) G, (speaking of the upper one only as they are alike except in position) is the barrel chamber of it-it is cast of brass; on one side of it are the pipe and flanch, or screw, communicating with and att-aching it to the boiler on the other side the pipe communicates with the atmosphere.

linishing I make this pipe flat; and on a plane with it, I extend on either side of the chamber a lug or lugs through which holes For convenience ofare drilled to receive the four guard rods y', at nearly equal distances from each other, and at such distance from the chamber as will allow the stuffing box G, to turn within them.

The top and bottom of the chamber are screwedwthe top to receive the nut (I) for confining the key-the bot-tom to receive the stuffing box (C)-L, is the key-it is cast with a lever on one side for the purposes. 1st. To indicate plainly when the waterway is fully open or shut. 2nd. To make it more co-nvenient to close it, in case a tube should break when under a pressure of steam-fand for greater convenience of using when necessary for clearing the passages.

The waterway in it turns down at right angles to the pipe and in line with the tube B. It is confined in the chamber from the top, by means of the socket nut (I) which screws on the top of the chamber, and which has a hole through it that freely admits the lever to pass through, but brings upon the enlarged part of the key projecting above the top of the chamber of the stuffing box (C) which screws on to the lower end of the chamber, and makes a joint against the flat sides of the pipe under the lugs. The lower end of it is screwed to receive the follower (E). A hole in the center of it receives the tube, and a recess in the bottom extending from the hole nearly to the extreme diameter, receives the packing. Its follower E, is constructed precisely similar to the socket nut (I) excepting in the size of the hole, which is to be governed by the size of the glass tube B. A thin follower or washer (f) within this is used to prevent the adhesion of the follower to the packing.

The packing (D) is composed of any elastic material competent to stand the heat and sufficiently impervious to water, such for instance as vulcanized india-rubber and if vulcanized rubber is used, it should be from one fourth to one half of an inch in thickness, cut or molded into circles, in diameter nearly that of the recess to receive it,l in the stuffing box, and a hole is made through the middle of it of such a size Vas will receive the glass tube.

The guards y' y' y' j, are made of brass or other wire, or rods, sufficiently strong to answer the purpose, and of such length as will extend from the lugs on the upper cocks to those on the lower, the distance of which is to be governed by the required length of the glass tube.

In attaching the gage to the boiler, the cocks G, Gr, 7L, 7L, should be placed in line or nearly so, and from one fourth to one half an inch farther apart than the length of the glass used. The key of one of the cocks may now be taken out and the tube pushed through the chamber of the cock into the stuiiing boxes leaving it supported by the rubber packings.

If there should be steam or water in the boiler to prevent the removal of the key (7L), then one of the stufling boxes and the follower of the other are to be removed and passed over the tube, when the tube will go into the remaining stuffing box, and the other returned to its place leaving the tube as befo-re, supported by the packing.

A gentle compression of the packing between the bottom of the stuffing box and the follower, make it light in the bottom of the stu'Hing box, and force it inward against the glass tube. The guards should now be put in their place and the keys 7L, 7L, turned so that their water ways communicate with the pipe leading into the boiler.V

Then it is desirable to blow through to remove dirt or obstructions, reversing one of the keys, so that the wat-er way shall open to the atmosphere will cause a current through the other cock and tube to the atmosphere.

Vhat I claim as my invention in the above described glass water gage is- The construction and arrangement as herein specified of the cocks having the axes of their chambers and keys in line with that of the glass tube, and the chambers having double water ways for the purposesr set forth, and the movable guard rods supported by lugs on the chambers in the manner described.

PAUL SILLMAN. W'tnesses J. C. GREENoUG-I, SAML COLMAN. 

